Best Ever Vegan Quinoa Chili

A mouthwatering blend of flavors in the best ever vegan quinoa chili – the perfect bowl of comfort and yumminess that you can enjoy guilt-free! Thanks so much Bob’s Red Mill for sponsoring this post.

A piping-hot bowl of chili is probably my favorite meal to enjoy during the winter months. There are so many variations and delicious ways to change it up. Plus, a chili meal is a great excuse to enjoy crumbly corn bread!

Recently, I hosted a large group of people with different eating restrictions and I needed to keep things gluten-free, dairy-free and plant-based to accommodate everyone. Bob’s Red Mill quinoa is the perfect whole grain superfood for adding plenty of protein, nutrition and heartiness without using any gluten or meat products. And I must say, even with some pretty great ingredients… sweet potatoes, I’m talking to you!… the quinoa steals the show. It adds such a fun texture, soaking up all the flavors and goodness of this chili.

This best ever vegan quinoa chili is also loaded with kidney beans, black beans, corn, sweet potatoes and just enough seasonings to give you a subtle kick in the pants. Plus, this batch will make enough to feed an army, so it’ll keep you and your family well fed for days! Love when there’s leftovers!

Oh and there’s also a secret ingredient that really sets this quinoa chili apart. In addition to all of the sultry spices and seasonings, the entire time the chili cooks on the stove, a stick of cinnamon is lettin’ out its flavor! If you don’t happen to have a stick of cinnamon and you’re craving this chili asap, go for it. But if you love cinnamon like I do, I would totally recommend the addition. It really adds a unique depth of flavor!

If you are new to quinoa, this is an excellent way to try it for the first time because it doesn’t require cooking ahead of time. Just throw everything into a large pot and your meal is ready in just over 30 minutes! This chili is warm and satisfying on a chilly day! I know you guys are going to devour this meal – it’s:

Savory Slightly sweet Cozy Hearty Healthy & ready lickity split!

This recipe works well for freezing and reheating whenever you get that chili craving and/or when you’re feeling lazy and cold. I like garnishing mine with a squirt of lime juice, avocado, fresh cilantro and plenty of corn bread.

I hope you guys love this easy vegan quinoa chili! If you try it, let me know in the comments or take a picture and tag it #kimscravings on Instagram! I’d love to see. Enjoy!

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4.59 from 17 votes

Nutrition Facts

Best Ever Vegan Quinoa Chili

Amount Per Serving (1 cup)

Calories 217Calories from Fat 14

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 1.5g2%

Sodium 672.6mg28%

Total Carbohydrates 43.8g15%

Dietary Fiber 8g32%

Sugars 5.8g

Protein 9g18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Servings:111 cup servings

Best Ever Vegan Quinoa Chili

Prep Time:

10mins

Cook Time:

45mins

Total Time:

55mins

An easy quinoa chili that comes together in less than 1 hour! Easy, delicious, super healthy and so satisfying!

Ingredients

1medium yellow or white onion, diced ( + coconut or olive oil)

3small or 2 large sweet potatoes, diced (about 1 pound)

1teaspoonsea salt + more to taste

1teaspoongarlic powder

1/2teaspoonblack pepper

3tablespoonschili powder

3teaspoonscumin

4cupsvegetable broth, low sodium, divided

1cupquinoa, uncooked (you will not need to rinse if using Bob's Red Mill quinoa)

In a large pot over medium heat, sauté diced onion in about 2 teaspoons oil until translucent and soft. Add diced sweet potato and spices (all are optional). Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Add 3 cups vegetable broth and bring mixture to a low boil on medium high heat, then lower heat to medium-low and simmer. Add quinoa, beans, corn and cinnamon stick; cover and cook for 30 minutes more and until the sweet potatoes are fork tender and the chili is thick. Once chili is done cooking, stir in additional cup of vegetable broth. Taste and add more seasonings as needed.

As with all chili and soup recipes, this is best when prepared the night before or has time to sit before serving for a few hours so the flavors can really shine.

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Something to think about….

What’s your favorite type of chili? Have you tried adding quinoa to your chili? So yummy and satisfying!

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bob’s Red Mill. Thanks for supporting the brands and companies that make it possible for me to continue providing quality content to you!

I definitely think that would work great. The only thing you might do ahead of time is step #1, cooking the sweet potato and onion. I think this would cook pretty quick in the crockpot maybe just 4 hours. Let us know how it goes!

You can just leave it out completely. Having the cinnamon stick cook in the chili just adds a little of the flavor, but I don’t feel like it will convert quite the same way with ground cinnamon. I would hate for you to add too much. You could always add a quick dash to each serving. Enjoy!

Made this tonight. If intending to eat the day of and instead of the next day, I would initially add a lot more seasoning (rather than at the end) as there are a lot of “absorbent” ingredients that benefit from the extra flavor. I also wish the toppings had been added to the ingredient list because I forgot them at the store! I was able to add veg cheese, sour cream and jalapeño which was nice in a pinch. Looking forward to making again with some extra flavor and CORNBREAD! Yum! Is there a reason it doesn’t include tomato in some form?

So how would you transfer this recipe to a simple 4-quart crockpot? I am in college and have had a decent amount of cooking experience growing up but I really don’t want to mess this recipe up. I’ve made this recipe before but not in a crockpot and I added some canned tomatoes for a little bit more of the traditional chili taste. So how would that all transfer to a 4-quart crockpot?

I would stir all ingredients together and cook on high for four hours. I really think everything will fit fine in the 4 quart slow cooker, but I haven’t tried this, so I’m not completely sure. Let us know how it goes!

My Family loved this. They are not quinoa fans, but they loved the flavor of this and did not even notice the quinoa. I think i cooked it a little too high and it needed more than an extra broth. I added a can of diced tomatoes and a can of water. Turned out great.

I’ve tried your recipe several times, I’ve never added the cinnamon stick but it is awesome without it. This has became my go to chili recipe. My family loves it even though they love meat. Thanks for sharing the goodness!!

This recipe is excellent! So flavorful and healthy. I have made this several times and have used the crock pot and stove top. I cook and add the quinoa separately so the broth isn’t absorbed too quickly. I also like adding a can of fire roasted tomatoes. This is in the crock pot as I type. Can’t wait!!